Swinging drawbar

ABSTRACT

A swinging drawbar and drawbar carriage supported on a bail assembly forming lateral abutments engaging the drawbar and carriage to overcome twisting and distorting moments on the drawbar when lateral movement of the drawbar is arrested at its extreme lateral positions.

United States Patent Slosiarek [451 July 18, 1972 541 SWINGING DRAWBARMichael L. Slosiarek, Milwaukee, Wis.

[ 7 2] Inventor:

[73] Assignee: Allis-Chalmers Manufacturing Company,

Milwaukee, Wis.

[22] Filed: Oct. 26, 1970 [2]] Appl. No.: 83,690

[52] US. Cl ..'.280/499, 280/467, 280/474 [51] Int. Cl ..B60d 1/14 [5 8]Field of Search ..280/499, 497, 462, 467, 474

[5 6] References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,462,726 2/1949 Currie..280/499 1,438,831 12/1922 Jones ..280/499 2,232,407 2/1941 Riesterer280/499 1,435,373 11/1922 Blain ..280/462 2,947,551 8/1960 Reimers..280/499 3,487,448 12/1969 Stemmerman et al. ......280/499 X 3,498,6373/1970 Lemmon ..280/499 X Pn'mary ExaminerLeo F riaglia Attorney-ArthurL. Nelson, Kenneth C. McKivett and Robert B. Benson [57] ABSTRACT Aswinging drawbar and drawbar carriage supported on a bail assemblyforming lateral abutments engaging the drawbar and carriage to overcometwisting and distorting moments on the drawbar when lateral movement ofthe drawbar is arrested at its extreme lateral positions.

10 Claims, 4 Drawing Figures Patented July 18, 1972 2 Sheets-Sheet lPatented July 18, 1972 2 Shets-Sheet 2 SWINGING DRAWBAR This inventionrelates to a swinging drawbar and more par tieularly to a bail supportand carriage for the drawbar to carry the drawbar as it swings about aforward pivot point and abutments for arresting the swinging movement ofthe drawbar in its extreme lateral position.

The drawbar is provided on tractors for a draft connection to certaintypes of implements. The drawbar generally is connected through apivotal connection on its forward end with the chassis of the vehicle.As the drawbar swings laterally about the forward pivot it is supportedon a bail assembly and is usually provided with a means whereby thedrawbar can be locked in any of a plurality of positions which positionthe rear end of the drawbar in any of a number of laterally spacedpositions on the tractor.

The are which the drawbar is permitted to freely swing is limited. Asthe drawbar comes to its extreme lateral position it is desirable thatno twisting or warping moment be applied to the drawbar since this mayproduce a permanent set and prevent the drawbar from operatingsatisfactorily.

Accordingly this invention provides a means whereby a drawbar issupported on a carriage mounted on a bail assembly to permit it tofreely swing within a predetermined are about a pivotal connection onthe front end of the drawbar. A plurality of perforations are formed ina crossbar of the bail assembly for selectively locking the drawbarcarriage in a plurality of positions on the cross bar. Likewise thecarriage includes a roller rolling on an arcuate surface defining apredetermined degree of arc and abutments are provided on the bailassembly defining the extreme lateral positions for the drawbar wherebythe roller and the drawbar engage the abutting surfaces without creatingany twisting or distorting of the drawbar. Accordingly, the drawbar andthe carriage for the drawbar are not overstressed to a point which wouldcause failure and unsatisfactory operation.

It is an object of this invention to provide a swinging drawbar and abail assembly for supporting the drawbar through its lateral swingingmovement.

It is another object of this invention to provide a swinging drawbarhaving a drawbar carriage rolling on an arcuate surface of the bailassembly.

It is a further object of this invention to provide a swinging drawbarpivotally connected to the chassis of the vehicle and mounted on adrawbar carriage rolling on an arcuate surface of a crossbar in a bailassembly defining vertical abutment surfaces to provide a swingingmovement of the drawbar and to limit its lateral swinging movementwithout creating a twisting or distorting moment on the drawbar.

The objects of this invention are accomplished by providing a drawbarwhich is pivotally connected on the forward end to move through alateral swinging arc. The bail assembly is also connected to the vehiclechassis and defines an arcuate locking means for locking the drawbar ina plurality of angularly spaced positions relative to the pivot point ofthe drawbar. The bail assembly defines a horizontal arcuate surfacewhich carries a roller on the drawbar carriage. The drawbar carriageswings through an arc and has means for locking it in arcuate positions.The bail assembly also defines lateral abutment surfaces which engagethe roller of the drawbar carriage and the drawbar which lie in thevertical plane and accordingly do not create any twisting or distortingmoment as the drawbar is arrested in its lateral movement in the bailassembly.

The preferred embodiment of the invention is shown by the attacheddrawings.

FIG. I is a side elevation view with a portion of the bail assemblybroken away to show the drawbar carriage and the crossbar.

FIG. 2 is a section view taken on line II-Il of FIG. 1 of the bailassembly with the drawbar and drawbar carriage mounted thereon.

FIG. 3 is a plan view partially in section of the bail assembly with thedrawbar and drawbar carriage.

FIG. 4 is a fragmentary view taken as shown by line lV--IV of FIG. 3showing the drawbar and drawbar carriage mounted on a bail assembly.

Referring to the drawings, the rear housing 1 supports the bail assembly2 which includes hanger brackets 3 and 4 which are welded to the arcuatecrossbar 5. The hanger brackets 3 and 4 extend along the surfaces 6 and7' and are fastened to the housing 1 by means of fastening means such asbolts 8. The support bar 5 defines a horizontal arcuate surface 9 uponwhich the roller 10 of the carriage 11 rolls. The drawbar 12 ispivotally connected on a pivotable axis 13 defined by anchor pin 50 inthe perforations 14 in the anchor bracket 15. The pivotal axis 13 ofdrawbar 12 confines the circular movement of the drawbar concentricallywith the arcuate surface 9 on the crossbar of the bail assembly 2.

The drawbar carrier 11 is formed with rectangular opening 16 whichreceives the drawbar 12. The drawbar carrier 11 includes upwardlyextending flanges 17 and 18 defining cylindri' cal openings 19 and 20.The flanges 17 and 18 are axially spaced to receive a roller 10 whichis; rotatably mounted on the pin 21. The pin 21 is fitted in theopenings 19 and 20 and is also received in a cylindrical opening 22 inthe roller 10. The pin 21 is formed with an annular recess: 23 which isin communication with a cross passage 24 and an axial passage 25. Theend of the axial passage 25 is threaded to threadedly receive thefitting 26 for lubricating the roller 10 on the pin 21. The opening 22is slightly oversized with relation to the pin diameter to accomodatethe rolling movement of the roller on the arcuate surface 9.

A crossbar 5 is formed with plurality of perforations 27 angularlyspaced relative to the pivotal axis 13 of the drawbar 12. A locking pin28 is received in the opening 29 and 30 of the drawbar carriage whichalso extends through one of the plurality of perforations 27 in thecrossbar 5. A quick detachable link 31 retains the locked pin 28 inposition to lock the drawbar carriage on the crossbar 5. It isunderstood that for some operations it is desirable to lock the drawbarin a stationary position defined by the plurality of perforations 27while for other operations it may be desirable to allow the drawbar toswing through an arcuate movement about its pivoting axis whereby thedrawbar carriage 11 carries the drawbar 12 through this arcuate swingingmotion when the vehicle is in operation.

The right hand hanger bracket 4 as shown in FIG. 1 forms a dependingportion 32 which is narrower than the upper portion which is fastened tothe housing. The depending narrower portion aligns itself between theflanges 17 and 18 of the carrier 11 when the drawbar is swung to eitherextreme position as shown in FIG. 3. The depending portion of each ofthe hangers 3 and 4 engage the drawbar 12. An abutment surface 33 formedby the depending portion 51 is parallel with the draw bar 12 when thedrawbar is swung to the extreme left position as shown in FIG. 3. It isnoted that the drawbar extends through the carrier 11 and extendsthrough recess 52 and 53 on either side of the carrier intermediate theflanges 17 and 18. The lateral surface 54 of the drawbar 12 engages asurface 33 of the hanger bracket 3. The surface 33 extends upwardly toengage roller 10 when the drawbar is swung in extreme left handposition.

The roller 10 is carried on a pin 21 which is held in position by across pin 34 in the opening 35 on the rearward end of the pin 21 and asnap ring 36 on the opposite end received in an annular groove 55 of pin21. Accordingly, as the drawbar swings to an extreme position where itengages the angled abutment surface 33 or 56 of either hanger bracket 3or 4 there is no twisting or warping effect created on the drawbarbecause the drawbar l2 and roller [[0 engage the surface simultaneously.

The description relates primarily to the bail assembly for supportingthe swinging drawbar in the manner in which the swinging drawbar iscarried as it swings through an are about its pivotal forward connectionon the chassis. The related parts which are used in combination. withthe components described are not enlarged upon in this description,however,

reference may be had to a copending application of the same assignee ofSlosiarek and Gatch Ser. No. 84,083, filed Oct. 26, 1970 which furtherdescribes components which are generally used in combination with thedrawbar hitch where the vehicle used employs a 3-point hitch.

The operation of this device will be described as follows. The drawbar12 is pivotally connected to the chassis on an axis 13 and pivotssubstantially in an horizontal plane. The drawbar 12 is carried in thedrawbar carrier 11. The drawbar carrier 11 includes a roller 10 which issupported on the crossbar 5 and rolls on the planer arcuate surface 9 asthe drawbar swings in an arcuate manner. The crossbar 5 is an integralpart of the bail assembly 2 and forms an abutment 40 forming a surface33 on the lefthand side and an abutment 41 forming a surface 56 on therighthand side which engages a roller 10 and a crossbar 12simultaneously as the drawbar swings to its maximum limits of movementlaterally. The drawbar carries a substantial draft load and as thevehicle is turned the drawbar swings. Due to the weights of theimplement and the vehicle, the draft load produces a substantial forcebetween the roller 10 and the drawbar l2 and the abutment. The reactionforce can be sufficient to damage the drawbar and provide a permanentset which will be detremental to its later operation if this type ofabutment is not used for stopping the movement of the drawbar in itsextreme limits.

The embodiments of the invention in which an exclusive property orprivilege is claimed are defined as follows:

1. A swinging drawbar for use on a vehicle comprising a vehicle chassis,a drawbar, means defining a pivotal connection pivotally connecting saiddrawbar to said chassis, a bail assembly rigidly connected to saidchassis and including a crossbar defining a continuous load carryingsurface, integral abutment means at the ends of said crossbar of saidbail assembly defining abutment surfaces, a drawbar carriage defining aroller for rolling on said carrying surface of said bail assembly, asingle pin hole means in said carriage parallel with said drawbar, aplurality of pin hole means in said crossbar for selective alignmentwith said pin hole means in said carriage, a pin for reception in saidhole means of said carriage and a hole means of said crossbar forselectively positioning said drawbar, means supporting said drawbar insaid carriage in a position an equal distance from each of said abutmentsurfaces as said roller, said roller and said drawbar thereby engagingsaid lateral abutment surface simultaneously when said drawbar is swungto its extreme lateral position.

2. A swinging drawbar for use on a vehicle as set forth in claim 1wherein said crossbar defines an arcuate segment with horizontal holesangularly spaced on the arcuate segment for receiving said pin connectedto said drawbar carriage to thereby selectively lock said drawbar in oneof a plurality of positions.

3. A swinging drawbar for use on a vehicle as set forth in claim 1wherein said crossbar of said bail assembly defines an arcuate segmenthaving an arc concentric with a pivotal axis of said drawbar connectionwith said chassis, said carrying surface of said crossbar defines ahorizontal arcuate surface for carrying the roller of said drawbarcarriage.

4. A swinging drawbar for use on a vehicle as set forth in claim 1wherein said lateral abutment surfaces define surfaces parallel with theside of said drawbar when said drawbar is swung to an extreme lateralposition to thereby limit the lateral swinging of said drawbar.

S. A swinging drawbar for use on a vehicle as set forth in claim 1wherein said bail assembly comprises an integral structure includinghanger brackets adapted for connection to said vehicle chassis, a crossbar integral with said hanger brackets to thereby define said carryingsurface for said drawbar.

6. A swinging drawbar for use on a vehicle as set forth in claim 3wherein the drawbar carriage includes means for supporting said drawbar,a pair of flanges extending upwardly for receiving a roller pin, a saidroller pin received in said flanges extendin through said roller of saiddrawbar carriage said roller de inmg an overslzed opening to permit saidroller to follow the arcuate surface of said carrying surfaces on saidcrossbar.

7. A swinging drawbar for use on a vehicle as set forth in claim 1wherein said drawbar carriage defines means for supporting said drawbar,two flanges extending upwardly from said means supporting the drawbar, aroller pin extending through said flanges and said roller, an annulargroove on the intermediate portion of said roller pin, means definingpassage means for receiving a fitting and for transmitting lubricantfrom said fitting to said annular groove to thereby provide lubricatingmeans for said roller on said drawbar carriage.

8. A swinging drawbar for use on a vehicle as set forth in claim 1wherein said drawbar carriage defines an opening extendinglongitudinally through said drawbar carriage for receiving said drawbar,means defining a recessed area on a lateral surface of said drawbarcarriage to permit said drawbar to engage said abutment surfaces on saidbail assembly to thereby simultaneously contact said abutment surface assaid roller engages said abutment surface to prevent a twisting anddistorting effect on said drawbar when it swings to its extreme lateralposition.

9. A swinging drawbar for use on a vehicle as set forth in claim 1wherein said drawbar carriage defines a longitudinal opening forreceiving said drawbar, said drawbar carriage defining in saidlongitudinal opening defines a raised surface on the underside in thecentral portion of said opening for engaging said drawbar at a pointcentrally below the center portion of said roller to eliminate cockingof said drawbar carriage when weight is applied on the rear end of saiddrawbar.

10. A swinging drawbar for use on a vehicle as set forth in claim 1wherein said drawbar carriage defines a rectangular opening having aloose fitting tolerance for receiving the drawbar, said means defining apivotal connection between said drawbar and said chassis defining avertical pivotal axis to thereby prevent said carriage from cocking andto cause said roller to roll along said carrying surface when thedrawbar is swung through an arcuate motion.

1. A swinging drawbar for use on a vehicle comprising a vehicle chassis,a drawbar, means defining a pivotal connection pivotally connecting saiddrawbar to said chassis, a bail assembly rigidly connected to saidchassis and including a crossbar defining a continuous load carryingsurface, integral abutment means at the ends of said crossbar of saidbail assembly defining abutment surfaces, a drawbar carriage defining aroller for rolling on said carrying surface of said bail assembly, asingle pin hole means in said carriage parallel with said drawbar, aplurality of pin hole means in said crossbar for selective alignmentwith said pin hole means in said carriage, a pin for reception in saidhole means of said carriage and a hole means of said crossbar forselectively positioning said drawbar, means supporting said drawbar insaid carriage in a position an equal distance from each of said abutmentsurfaces as said roller, said roller and said drawbar thereby engagingsaid lateral abutment surface simultaneously when said drawbar is swungto its extreme lateral position.
 2. A swinging drawbar for use on avehicle as set forth in claim 1 wherein said crossbar defines an arcuAtesegment with horizontal holes angularly spaced on the arcuate segmentfor receiving said pin connected to said drawbar carriage to therebyselectively lock said drawbar in one of a plurality of positions.
 3. Aswinging drawbar for use on a vehicle as set forth in claim 1 whereinsaid crossbar of said bail assembly defines an arcuate segment having anarc concentric with a pivotal axis of said drawbar connection with saidchassis, said carrying surface of said crossbar defines a horizontalarcuate surface for carrying the roller of said drawbar carriage.
 4. Aswinging drawbar for use on a vehicle as set forth in claim 1 whereinsaid lateral abutment surfaces define surfaces parallel with the side ofsaid drawbar when said drawbar is swung to an extreme lateral positionto thereby limit the lateral swinging of said drawbar.
 5. A swingingdrawbar for use on a vehicle as set forth in claim 1 wherein said bailassembly comprises an integral structure including hanger bracketsadapted for connection to said vehicle chassis, a cross bar integralwith said hanger brackets to thereby define said carrying surface forsaid drawbar.
 6. A swinging drawbar for use on a vehicle as set forth inclaim 3 wherein the drawbar carriage includes means for supporting saiddrawbar, a pair of flanges extending upwardly for receiving a rollerpin, a said roller pin received in said flanges extending through saidroller of said drawbar carriage, said roller defining an oversizedopening to permit said roller to follow the arcuate surface of saidcarrying surfaces on said crossbar.
 7. A swinging drawbar for use on avehicle as set forth in claim 1 wherein said drawbar carriage definesmeans for supporting said drawbar, two flanges extending upwardly fromsaid means supporting the drawbar, a roller pin extending through saidflanges and said roller, an annular groove on the intermediate portionof said roller pin, means defining passage means for receiving a fittingand for transmitting lubricant from said fitting to said annular grooveto thereby provide lubricating means for said roller on said drawbarcarriage.
 8. A swinging drawbar for use on a vehicle as set forth inclaim 1 wherein said drawbar carriage defines an opening extendinglongitudinally through said drawbar carriage for receiving said drawbar,means defining a recessed area on a lateral surface of said drawbarcarriage to permit said drawbar to engage said abutment surfaces on saidbail assembly to thereby simultaneously contact said abutment surface assaid roller engages said abutment surface to prevent a twisting anddistorting effect on said drawbar when it swings to its extreme lateralposition.
 9. A swinging drawbar for use on a vehicle as set forth inclaim 1 wherein said drawbar carriage defines a longitudinal opening forreceiving said drawbar, said drawbar carriage defining in saidlongitudinal opening defines a raised surface on the underside in thecentral portion of said opening for engaging said drawbar at a pointcentrally below the center portion of said roller to eliminate cockingof said drawbar carriage when weight is applied on the rear end of saiddrawbar.
 10. A swinging drawbar for use on a vehicle as set forth inclaim 1 wherein said drawbar carriage defines a rectangular openinghaving a loose fitting tolerance for receiving the drawbar, said meansdefining a pivotal connection between said drawbar and said chassisdefining a vertical pivotal axis to thereby prevent said carriage fromcocking and to cause said roller to roll along said carrying surfacewhen the drawbar is swung through an arcuate motion.